Control valve for a fluid product dispenser and a fluid product dispenser comprising such a valve

ABSTRACT

The inventive control valve for fluid products is mounted on a reservoir containing said fluid products, comprises a valve body ( 10 ) and a metering chamber ( 20 ) and is provided with a first valve element ( 30 ) for dispensing products contained in the metering chamber ( 20 ) and a second valve element ( 40 ) for filling said metering chamber ( 20 ). The invention is characterised in that said first and second valve elements ( 30, 40 ) are actuated separately during the operation of the control valve.

This present invention concerns a valve for the dispensing of fluidproducts, more particularly a metering valve, as well as a fluid productdispenser comprising such a valve.

Metering valves are well known in the state of the art. They aregenerally designed to dispense products of the aerosol type, in whichthe fluid product is dispensed by means of a propellant. These valvesgenerally include a valve body in which a valve element or valve stemslides between a rest position and a dispensing position. The valve bodyforms a metering chamber, this metering chamber being emptied during theactuation of the valve element. After actuation, when the valve elementreturns to its rest position, the metering chamber is connected to thereservoir and it fills, generally by gravity, to allow the nextactuation of the valve. These known valves can have a certain number ofdisadvantages. Thus, in the rest position of the valve, in particularwhen the latter is in the upright position, that is with the valvepositioned above the reservoir, the product contained in the meteringchamber is liable to flow back toward the reservoir, thus affecting theaccuracy of the metering as well as the repeatability of the measureddose. In addition, the filling of the reservoir with the fluid productand the propellant can prove to be complicated and damaging for thevalve. Document U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,512 reveals a valve with a valveelement that has two parts, an upper part and a lower part, which areactuated simultaneously.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a valve for thedispensing of a fluid product, which does not have the aforementioneddisadvantages.

More particularly, an objective of the present invention is to providesuch a valve which achieves perfect metering accuracy as well as perfectrepeatability of the measured dose at each actuation of the valve.

The present invention also has as objective to provide such a valvewhich is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, to assemble, to fill andto use.

The present invention therefore provides a valve for the dispensing offluid products intended to be fitted to a reservoir containing a fluidproduct, said valve having a valve body that includes a meteringchamber, the valve including a first valve element intended to dispensethe product contained in the metering chamber, and a second valveelement intended to fill said metering chamber. Preferably, said firstand second valve elements are operated separately during the use of thevalve.

Advantageously, said first and second valve elements are actuatedtogether to fill the reservoir with the fluid product.

Advantageously, said second valve element is positioned around saidfirst valve element, said first valve element sliding in a sealed mannerwithin said second valve element.

Advantageously, each valve element fits onto an elastic element, such asa spring, which the forces it to its rest position.

Advantageously, the actuating means of the first valve element aredifferent from the actuating means of the second valve element.

Advantageously, said second valve element forms, together with the valvebody, an intake valve to the metering chamber, said second valve elementbeing movable with respect to the valve body, between a closed positionand an open position of said intake valve.

Advantageously, said intake valve is formed by a lateral passageprovided in a wall of the second valve element, said passage beingclosed in the closed position of the intake valve and open in the openposition of the intake valve.

Advantageously, said first valve element forms, together with saidsecond valve element, an outlet valve for the metering chamber, saidfirst valve element being movable with respect to said second valveelement between a closed position and an open position of said outletvalve.

Advantageously, said outlet valve is formed by a lateral passageprovided in said first valve element, said passage being closed in theclosed position of the outlet valve and opening into the meteringchamber in the open position of the outlet valve.

Advantageously, the valve body is made in two parts, fixed together, inparticular by snap-fit.

Advantageously, in the rest position of the valve, the metering chamberis closed hermetically with respect to the reservoir and the exterior.

The present invention also provides a device for the dispensing of fluidproducts, including a reservoir containing a fluid product and apropellant, as well as a valve as described above.

Advantageously, said reservoir is filled by means of a filling machinewhich simultaneously actuates the first and second valve elements.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention willappear more clearly during the following detailed description of anadvantageous embodiment of the latter, presented with reference to theattached drawings, provided by way of non-limited examples, and inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view in transverse section of a valve according toan advantageous embodiment of the present invention, in the restposition;

FIG. 2 is a similar view to that of FIG. 1, in the dispensing position;

FIG. 3 is a similar view to those of FIGS. 1 and 2, in the fillingposition of the metering chamber; and

FIG. 4 is a similar view to those of FIGS. 1 to 3, in the fillingposition of the reservoir.

With reference to the figures, the valve comprises a valve body 10forming a metering chamber 20. The valve body 10 can be made in twoparts, one part described as the top or upper part 11 which includes themetering chamber 20 and to which is fixed, in a sealed manner, inparticular by a snap-fit, a bottom or lower part 12. This lower part 12(which appears at the top in the figures, since the valve is shown inthe inverted position), can be made as a single-block part with a ring13, called the can-end ring, and which is used firstly to limit the deadvolume and therefore to dispense a maximum of the product contained inthe reservoir, and secondly to limit the contact between the product andthe gasket positioned between the valve body and the attachment element.This attachment element 70 can be anything, and is used to fix the valveonto the neck of a reservoir (not shown), in a known manner. Thisattachment element 70 can, in particular, be a capsule to be crimped,screwed or snap-fitted, or similar.

According to the invention, the valve comprises a first valve stemelement 30 and a second valve stem element 40. The first valve element30 is intended to dispense the product contained in the metering chamber20 and the second valve element 40 is intended to fill this meteringchamber 20 from the reservoir (not shown). The present inventiontherefore allows decoupling of the expulsion of the measured dose fromthe filling of the metering chamber, in contrast to a conventionalvalve, in which the filling of the metering chamber is achieved duringthe return of the valve element from its dispensing position to its restposition. Said first and second valve elements 30, 40 are actuatedseparately during the use of the valve. In other words, the dispensingof the product, effected by means of the first valve element 30, isachieved by operating specific actuating means, such as a pusher mountedon the outlet end of the first valve element 30, and movable axially, ina known manner. The second valve element 40, which is used to fill themetering chamber 20 after expulsion of the aforementioned measuredamount, is advantageously actuated by means of an actuating system thatis distinct from the actuating system of the first valve element 30. Forexample, a lateral actuating system can be envisaged, to avoid any riskof the simultaneous operation of the two valve elements.

Advantageously, the second valve element 40 is positioned around thefirst valve element 30, which slides in said second valve element 40 ina sealed manner. Advantageously, a sealing gasket 80 is provided betweenthe two valve elements 30 and 40, resulting in sealed movement in allpositions of the valve elements. Another sealing gasket 81 can beprovided between the two valve elements, in order to guarantee sealingin the rest position of the first valve element 30.

A particular advantage of the present invention is that in the restposition of the valve, the metering chamber 20 is completely andhermetically isolated from the exterior and from the reservoir, so thatthere is no risk of losing any of the measured dose, guaranteeingabsolute metering accuracy as well as total repeatability at eachactuation, even after lengthy storage. In addition, the fact thatfilling the metering chamber is independent of the actuation or returnstroke of the first valve stem or element 30 enables this filling actionto be optimised in order to ensure good homogeneity of the product andof the propellant contained in the metering chamber after it has beenfilled. It should be noted that the metering chamber can be filled justafter the expulsion of the aforementioned measured dose. In a variant,the chamber can be filled just before the expulsion of the measureddose, so that the measured dose is not held for too long in the chamber.

Advantageously, each valve element 30, 40 fits, directly or indirectly,onto an elastic element 35, 45 respectively, such as a spring, whichforces it toward its rest position. This rest position is shown inFIG. 1. As can be seen in the figures, the second valve element 40 isadvantageously positioned around the first valve element 30, with thisfirst valve element 30 sliding in a sealed manner inside the secondvalve element 40. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a cycle of the dispensing operationof the valve. In order to dispense the contents of the metering chamber20, the first valve element 30 is therefore moved axially inside thesecond valve element 40 until a lateral passage 61, provided in saidfirst valve element 30, opens into in said metering chamber 20, causingexpulsion of the measured dose. The second valve element 40 remainsimmobile during this dispensing of the product. The first valve element30 therefore forms an outlet valve 60 for the metering chamber 20, withrespect to the second valve element 40. During the whole cycle ofoperation of the first valve element 30, the metering chamber remainsclosed and completely isolated with respect to the reservoir, as can beseen in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 3 shows the filling of the metering chamber20 after a preceding actuation. To this end, the second valve element 40is moved axially inside the valve body 10, in particular inside theupper part of the valve body 11, until a lateral passage 51 provided ina wall 41 of said second valve element 40 connects the reservoir (notshown) with the metering chamber 20. The second valve element 40therefore forms an intake valve 50 for the metering chamber, togetherwith the valve body 10. During the displacement of the second valveelement 40 toward its filling position, the first valve element 30always remains in the closed position of the discharge valve 60 of themetering chamber 20, so that there is no risk of losing product duringthis filling stage. The first valve element 30 is driven axially by thesecond valve element 40 during this filling cycle of the meteringchamber 20, but since there is no relative displacement between the twovalve elements, the discharge valve 60 remains closed.

Advantageously, the second valve element 40 can be made in two parts,fixed together, an upper part 41 forming a wall of the metering chamber20, and a lower part 42 fixed to said first upper part 41. These twoparts 41, 42 can form said lateral passage 51 between them. The lowerpart 42 can form the support for the spring 35 of the first valveelement 30, while the spring 45 of the second valve element 40 can alsocooperate with said lower part 42 as well as with the bottom of thevalve body 12.

Another very important advantage of the present invention concerns thefilling of the reservoir before the valve is actuated to dispense theproduct in measured doses. In fact, as illustrated in FIG. 4, thisfilling can be accomplished through the first dispensing valve element30 without damaging the valve. To this end, the two valve elements 30and 40 are actuated simultaneously, via an appropriate filling machineor filling head for example, and are lowered on a precise trajectory soas to open the outlet valve 60 of the metering chamber and the intakevalve 50 of the metering chamber simultaneously. In this way, thereservoir (not shown) is connected to the outlet orifice of the firstvalve element 30, and the product can therefore be fed via this passageto enter into the first valve element 30, then into the metering chamber20, and then into the reservoir (not shown), without damaging thefunctional gaskets, as in the current valves.

The present invention therefore proposes a valve which firstly performsmetering with absolute accuracy, and which simplifies filling of thereservoir, this being achieved by decoupling the dispensing action ofthe metering chamber from its filling after the dispensing actuation.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to anadvantageous embodiment of the latter, it is intended that it should notbe limited to this embodiment only. On the contrary, someone skilled inthe art will be able to carry out any necessary modifications withoutmoving outside the same of the invention as described in the appendedclaims.

1. A valve for the dispensing of fluid products, intended to be fittedto a reservoir containing a fluid product, where said valve has a valvebody (10) that includes a metering chamber (20), characterised in thatthe valve has a first valve element (30) intended to dispense theproduct contained in the metering chamber (20), and a second valveelement (40) intended to fill said metering chamber (20), andcharacterised in that said first and second valve elements (30, 40) areactuated separately during the use of the valve.
 2. A valve according toclaim 1, in which said first and second valve elements (30, 40) areactuated together to fill the reservoir with the fluid product.
 3. Avalve according to claim 1, in which said second valve element (40) ispositioned around said first valve element (30), said first valveelement (30) sliding in a sealed manner in said second valve element(40).
 4. A valve according to claim 1, in which each valve element (30,40) fits onto an elastic element (35, 45) respectively, such as aspring, which forces it toward its rest position.
 5. A valve accordingto claim 1, in which the actuating means of the first valve element (30)are different from the actuating means of the second valve element (40).6. A valve according to claim 1, in which said second valve element (40)forms, together with the valve body (10), an intake valve (50) for themetering chamber (20), said second valve element (40) being movable withrespect to the valve body (10) between a closed position and an openposition of said intake valve (50).
 7. A valve according to claim 6, inwhich said intake valve (50) is formed by a lateral passage (51)provided in a wall (41) of the second valve element (40), said passage(51) being closed in the closed position of the intake valve (50) andopen in the open position of the intake valve (50).
 8. A valve accordingto claim 1, in which said first valve element (30) forms, together withsaid second valve element (40), an outlet valve for the metering chamber(20), said first valve element (30) being movable with respect to saidsecond valve element (40) between a closed position and an open positionof said outlet valve (60).
 9. A valve according to claim 8, in whichsaid outlet valve (60) is formed by a lateral passage (61) provided inthe said first valve element (30), said passage (61) being closed in theclosed position of the discharge valve (60) and opening into themetering chamber (20) in the open position of the discharge valve (60).10. A valve according to claim 1, in which the valve body (10) is madein two parts (11, 12) fixed together, in particular by a snap-fit.
 11. Avalve according to claim 1, in which, in the rest position of the valve,the metering chamber (20) is closed hermetically with respect to thereservoir and the exterior.
 12. A device for the dispensing of fluidproducts, including a reservoir containing a fluid product and apropellant, characterised in that the said device includes a valveaccording to claim
 1. 13. A device according to claim 12, in which saidreservoir is filled by means of a filling machine which simultaneouslyactuates the first and second valve elements (30, 40).